Reaching your fitness goals through nutrition
It’s time for a checkup.
- Are your New Year’s resolutions to exercise more and stick to a ‘good’ diet fast becoming a fading memory?
- Has the lack of tangible results (toning, weight management, energy levels) made you reach for the comfort food and the TV remote?
Don’t throw in the towel just yet! With the help of wholesome, nourishing and energy-giving foods, there are ways of making these hours on the treadmill count!
Here’s an easy-to-follow list of tips that will maximize the effect of your exercise programme and help you reach your goals.
- Forget diets - you need calories to burn calories! Your body’s metabolism* is like a great fire that needs constant fuel to keep it burning. When you increase your exercise/activity levels and you starve yourself at the same time, your metabolism slows way down to conserve the little energy it has. So in addition to preventing you from losing the weight, this starvation will exhaust you and prevent you from exercising effectively.
- Hydration is vital for energy! A dehydrated body will be too exhausted to think - let alone spend an hour spinning! Two litres of water every day (spread throughout the day, not in a few big gulps) will prevent the accumulation of dehydration and is much safer and more effective at getting rid of nasty toxins than any detox program. On exercise days, make sure you top up your 2 litres during and after your workout. Sports drinks are full of chemicals and very high in sugar and can send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster, which in turn will increase your cravings, so limit your use of these. Alternatively, make your own chemical-free sports drink: 500ml fruit juice (not from concentrate) diluted with 500 ml water and a pinch of salt.
- Eat energy-giving foods before a workout. Complex carbohydrates like wholemeal pasta and bread, brown rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes and quinoa, eaten with a little protein in the form of nuts and seeds, lean meats (turkey, chicken, fish) will give you lasting energy. Make time to eat up to two hours before a workout, and munch on a high-energy banana up to half an hour before a longer session for a quick top up.
- Don’t forget protein! Proteins (lean meats, nuts and seeds, dairy foods, quinoa) will help you to build and repair muscles for a lean and toned body! They also keep your blood sugar level, which will prevent you from snacking - so make sure you have a variety of proteins at each meal – and don’t forget that includes the most important meal of the day: breakfast!
- Good fats are essential for life and energy. Low-fat diets are never nourishing or filling and they make you crave fatty foods (chocolate, cheese, fried food, crisps). So eat good fats every day, including essential fatty acids from omega oils like fish oil and flax oil – even a little butter – full-fat dairy products and saturated fats once in a while. Stay away from margarines or vegetable oil spreads, as they add zero nutritional value and don’t get utilized for energy. They only add toxins, go straight to your waistline, and can clog those important arteries!
- Recovery is key. Make sure you drink extra fluid after your workout and eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein within two hours following exercise. My personal favourite is a banana with a dollop of peanut butter on top or a couple handfuls of unsalted, raw almonds – yum!
- Throw away the scales! Constantly weighing yourself can become very stressful and depressing, especially since muscle is heavier than fat! So the more toned you become, the likelihood that you might be a little heavier on the scales. Go by how your clothes fit. Bearing that in mind, you might want to reconsider if your goal of slimming down is unrealistic – just aim for healthy, energetic and fit instead!
Planning to run a marathon this Spring?
6 tips for good nutrition while training for a marathon:
- Dehydration is one of the top two reasons runners ‘hit the wall’ during a marathon: Don’t wait to be thirsty to take a drink, as thirst indicates that you are already partially dehydrated! Drink up to 250/300 ml of fluid every 20-30 minutes on a long run and make sure you drink at least two litres of water every day.
- If you’re on a long run of over one hour, water will quench your thirst too quickly before you’re fully re-hydrated, so opt for either a sports drink or make your own (see the recipe above).
- For a run longer than one hour, you need to not only replenish your fluids but also to refuel with carbohydrates. Choose a sport drink, or gels and water, or food and water.
- Be careful not to mix water and sports drinks. You will only be diluting the carbohydrate (energy) from the sports drink, which will delay the supply of energy to your muscles.
- Eat complex carbohydrates (whole grains, wholemeal bread and pasta, quinoa) during training. Use simple carbohydrates (glucose, sugar, dried fruits) during a long run/marathon, for a quick supply of energy.
- Don’t forget protein and good fats! Athletes tend to focus too much on eating lots of carbohydrates for energy, but protein and good fats (omega 3 oils in particular) are essential for muscle repair, hormone production and balance, good skin, and healthy, well-lubricated ligaments and joints.
*metabolism: The rate at which an organism transforms food into energy and body tissue.
About the author
Nathalie Patey (BA, MA, DNN, MFNTP) is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist practicing in Hove, at the Physio Therapy Centre, Haywards Heath and at the Triangle, Burgess Hill. She offers group nutrition talks, and one-to-one sessions. To find out more or to book an appointment call Nathalie on 01273 415 158 or 07980 620010 or email: nathalie@newleafnutrition.co.uk
References:
International Association of Athletic Federations (IAAF) (2007), Nutrition for athletics: The 2007 IAAF Consensus Statement.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) (2004), Consensus on Sports Nutrition, 2003, J Sports Science, vol 22 (1): X
Bean, A. The Complete Guide to Sports Nutrition, 2009
Dr F. Batmanghelidj. Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, 2000
Erasmus, U. Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, 17th printing. 2006
Article copyright YourDoc Medical Ltd 2010. All rights reserved.
